New in the shop....

... the 2008 calendar! A customer favorite, this annual calendar is available with either a magnetic or desk frame, and features 12 delightful designs chosen to reflect the seasons.

Busy bee....

It's been a busy week - I'm getting ready for the upcoming Boston Gift Show, and it's the start of the holiday season as well. I'm shipping holiday cards galore to my lovely retailers!

The fall Boston Gift Show runs from September 15 - 18, and I'll be in the Handmade section again, booth 1309. At last fall's show, I was caught by surprise that there was such demand for coastal products - I wasn't really showing many since I had expected all the shops to be stocking up for the holidays. Fortunately I was able to adapt some of my standard coastal designs for the holiday season, and they've been a hit! I'll be showing those for sure this year, along with some new additions! (Stay tuned, you'll see them in the shop, too.)

I'm looking forward to seeing all the fabulous retailers from New England and beyond. Please stop by if you plan to be there! (Note that this show is open to the trade only.)

Birthday Boy! What can I say?

I'm a very visual person, and because of that, most of my cards are blank. In one respect, this is good - they can easily be used for multiple occasions. In another respect, this is not so good - so many people are intimidated by blank cards because they don't know what to write inside.

This is my first post of a series - I will offer you a little help in that department, by pairing some of my card designs with an example of what message would make them perfect for that special occasion. In honor of my brother's birthday, which is in just a couple of days, I'm going to start with some guy birthday card ideas!

I sell this card with the message printed inside. The concept was inspired by my clever friend Brian. What sporting guy isn't going to appreciate the bowling ball and pins? And inside: Another Birthday Strikes!

Who doesn't remember those summer days during childhood, when the dandelions went to seed and we made wishes on them? (Oh, yeah, we also spread all those pesky seeds all over dad's lawn in the process!) What about a dandelion card to celebrate a lawn-obsessed guy's birthday - and inside: May All Your Wishes Come True!

And last but not least, man's best friend... this card was inspired by my brother's sweet dog who loves cake and shares my name - Molly-dog's birthday. What would I write inside this one? Let them Eat Cake!

(oh, and Happy Birthday Johnny!)

Artful, Indie and Fresh

It's been a busy summer at Artful Sentiments! I've been printing lots of cards and journals and assembling the new 2008 calendars and magnets galore for my shop and many fabulous retailers across the U.S. that stock my goodies.

I've designed several new holiday cards, and of course last year's favs are also available... Last year I sent the "chill" card to everyone on my list, it was a bit of an affirmation for me!

I've also been working with some other wonderful business owners in two coops, IndieFinds, a group of over 100 talented peeps with delightful online shops, and A Fresh Bunch, a group of fabulous stationery business owners who have joined forces to help promote eachother. Please check out both of these great groups.